ambien

[happypill]

has anybody been prescribed ambien at a dose of 20 mg? i have been prescribed this for over 2 years now, after the 10 mgs just stopped working---but i have to change doctors and he says the highest dosage is 10mg.... so is it unheard of to be on 20 mg?

[Addict63]

On the Topix site's ambien thread I kept reading about scripts for 5, 10 12MG, but never 20.  I've been on the thread in regards to Ambien for months. It's huge. It started in 2006. Thousands of postings from lost souls trying to quit, posting in the wee hours, awake, unable to get to sleep. But there are also many posters like you happypill. There are millions more people who need the sleep and rest they get from Ambien. My mom was one of them. She passed away a couple of years ago from cancer at age 87 but stayed on Ambien for years, 5MG a night, until the end. I never second guess a doctor (mom was an RN!) and always allow people the dignity to be themselves, keeping the focus on me (I'm in al-anon).

Personally I felt an urgent need to get off of it and I just finished a long taper program from 10MG. I have been free from the stuff for over a week now. When I took my first Ambien 16 months ago I thought it was the most wonderful drug to ever come on the market. A night's sleep with no hangover!

But my own experience with the stuff was horrible. I'm an addict. Now that I'm off of it I realize a tremendous difference in how I feel and think. I had memory problems on Ambien. My job requires creativity, that wasn't really happening on Ambien. I didn't have any ambition, I was depressed, couldn't think like I once did when I was clean for many years.  But I sure the hell did sleep my A-- off! I slept for 16 months solid, 8-9 hours a night - well, at least my carcass slept. I now realize it really wasn't me sleeping. Now I'm sleeping, dreaming, and keeping busy while awake because I actually FEEL like keeping busy, But that's me. Like pattifan mentions about "controlling your life", I didn't want to owe my soul to a pill just so I could rest my outer carcass. I'm still stuck sleeping on natural OTC sleep supplements, but plan to pay back what sleep i've borrowed from my future, all at once, as soon as I can take time out of my precious life.

I wish you the best in life on what ever your decisions are happypill.

[Greatgreebo]

Not to rain on your parade..but we aren't here to support you in your addiction-but rather in your recovery. If you are here just to gleen information on what/how to keep using....you should probably go somewhere else. If you want some solid advice on HOW to taper and HOW to quit-we are the group for you.

Ambien is addicting and at the dose you are on it is unhealthy. You will become more tolerant to the higher dose (20 mgs is DOUBLE what you should take a day)....eventually, 40 mgs won't work and you will be a mental mess AND have an active addiciton AND not get any sleep on top of that. I would seriously consider talking to your doc. about the addiciton and a tapering plan and getting you to a sleep specialists...thaere are other 'sleep' options out there-that will knock you out, without the potential addiction Ambien has-you just have to want to stop the pills....you are at an unsustainable rate right now and a crash and burn is coming unless you get some help

trust me on this one......................
Greatgreebo

[pattifan]

Happy Pill,

Realistically you'll have to taper anyway, as it doesn't sound like your new family doctor will be willing to prescribe twice the maximum dose.

Do you really want to be on it the rest of your life?  If you want to stay on your current dose, it'll mean handing over all your money to illegal online pharmacies.

Then the ambien will truly be controlling your life.

Just a thought.....

Take care

[happypill]

but i am not interesting in tapering. i am very much 'addicted" to the restful nights sleep it provides me, and dont ever want to give that up.....
and i am on other meds....

[Rich99]

The highest recommended dosage of regular ambien (not CR) is 10 mg daily at bedtime.     That doubling of the dose is a troubling issue since once that runs its course,  where do you go from there?     I would attempt to begin a tapering down with the cooperation of your doctor otherwise eventually you may have to go to a detox facility.    The fact that you aren't taking any other medications (or are you?) should make the tapering a bit easier.